Diary

ISTANBUL (AA) – Here are the main topics Anadolu’s English Desk plans to cover on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024 (coverage may change depending on developing/breaking stories):

PALESTINE

Gaza City – Ninety-six days of Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which left at least 23,210 dead and nearly 59,000 injured, most of them children and women, caused massive destruction, and an unprecedented humanitarian and health catastrophe.

Ramallah – On the fifth and final day of his announced tour in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to meet in Ramallah with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, then concludes his tour with a visit to Cairo.

Ramallah – The Israeli army’s almost daily raids into cities and towns in the West Bank have continued since Oct. 7, leaving a total of 341 Palestinian dead, and the number of detainees in Israeli prisons from the West Bank, including Jerusalem, has reached to 5,755 Palestinians, while the Israeli army announced, according to its latest figures, the arrest of 2,600 Palestinians in the West Bank since the same date, including 1,300 Palestinian Hamas activists.

IRAN

Tehran – Deputy Speaker of Azerbaijan’s National Assembly Fezail Ibrahimli continues his visit to Iran, where he is scheduled to take part in meetings of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s Parliamentary Union.

LEBANON

Beirut – The escalation of armed confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel in the border area continues, which witnessed a remarkable development following the Israeli assassination of a prominent Hezbollah field commander, Wissam Al-Tawil, in southern Lebanon.

For the first time since the beginning of the confrontations between the two sides on Oct. 8, Hezbollah targeted the headquarters of the northern command of the Israeli army in the city of Safed.

TAJIKISTAN

Dushanbe – Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan to meet his Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in multilateral platforms with Tajikistan, as well as current regional and international issues of mutual concern.

UK

London – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to respond to questions from lawmakers in the House of Commons.

BELGIUM

Brussels – NATO-Ukraine Council to hold an extraordinary meeting at ambassadors level after Russia’s intensified airstrikes.

SWITZERLAND

Geneva – International Labor Organization to release its annual World Employment and Social Outlook 2024 report.

US

New York – UN Security Council to meet to receive briefing on Ukraine. US has said it plans to share new information about North Korea’s provision of ballistic missile launchers and ballistic missiles to Russia at Wednesday’s session.

Washington – House Committee on Homeland Security to hold hearing on subject of impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.

Washington – House Committee on Oversight and Accountability and House Judiciary Committee to hold markup sessions to consider resolutions to hold Hunter Biden in contempt of Congress for defying their subpoenas.

Washington – CNN to host live debate ahead of Iowa caucuses on Jan. 15. Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis are sole candidates due to participate.

ARMENIA

Yerevan – Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis to hold talks with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during an official visit.

UKRAINE

Kyiv – The National Security, Defense and Intelligence Committee of the Verkhovna Rada expected to announce its final decision on the draft mobilization bill.

CHINA

Beijing – President Xi Jinping expected to hold bilateral meeting with visiting Maldivian counterpart Mohamed Muizzu, who is on his maiden state visit to Asian country.

Beijing – Foreign Ministry to hold regular news conference.

KOREAN PENINSULA

Seoul / Pyongyang – South Korean military expected to resume drills in buffer zones halted under a 2018 inter-Korean military accord. North Korea last month completely scraped the agreement after Seoul had partially suspended it. Tensions on the Korean Peninsula have grown to the threat of war as the divided Koreas resumed artillery firings and drills near the sea and land border.

JAPAN

Ishikawa – Japan continues its operations to look for more survivors as around 120 people still remain missing, even after more than a week has passed since a massive earthquake hit the country on New Year Day. Over 200 people have been declared dead amid bad weather hitting rescue efforts.

PHILIPPINES

Manila – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. meeting visiting Indonesian President Joko Widodo for bilateral talks. Jokowi arrived in Manila on Tuesday as part of his three-day official visit aimed to deepen and strengthen bilateral ties between the two Southeast Asian nations.

SPECIAL REPORTS

EXPLAINER – What is South Africa’s genocide case against Israel?

By Emre Basaran

Istanbul – Explainer about the case filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accusing Israel of genocide.

The report lays out the main details of the case, which is due to start in The Hague on Thursday, including the major points in South Africa’s 84-page filing.

The story also explains how the hearings will be conducted, the potential aftermath of any ruling by the ICJ, and the process of possible appeals.

EXPLAINER – South Africa vs Israel: Who are the main players in ICJ showdown?

By Rabia Ali

Istanbul – Report focusing on the legal teams that will be representing South Africa and Israel in the genocide case at the ICJ.

The story gives details of the members of both teams, which include prominent figures such as former UN special rapporteur John Dugard and veteran British lawyer Malcolm Shaw.

The report also includes information about the ad-hoc judges nominated by South Africa and Israel, while also explaining their role in the hearings.

INTERVIEW – UK must correct damage caused by Balfour Declaration: Palestinian envoy to Ireland

By Leila Nezirevic

London – Interview with Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestine’s ambassador to Ireland, about Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

The ambassador speaks about various aspects of the crisis, stressing the need for the UK to take responsibility for its historic role and make efforts to resolve the Palestine issue.

She also gives a scathing assessment of the stance taken by Western nations, including the US, UK and EU states, in support of Israel, accusing them of permitting a “genocide” of Palestinians.

Abdalmajid strongly criticizes the US, saying it “supports, administrates and participates” in Israel’s deadly military campaign in Gaza.

NEW MEDIA

VIDEO – Interview with Jilan Wahba Abdalmajid, Palestine’s ambassador to Ireland, about Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, where she speaks about various aspects of the crisis, including the UK’s historic role in the issue and Western nations’ support to Israel’s “genocide” of Palestinians.